i kinda thought i might, too.the rules: write for only five minutes on the topic of the week {in real life} and post the unedited mess. no changes allowed after times-up.

here goes nothin'.

GO

i feel like i should start by saying that i have facebook, and i love it. i have twitter, and i use it. i have pinterest and a blog and back in the good ol' days of crazy backgrounds and top 12 friends lists, i had myspace. before that, livejournal.

but sometimes i think they all stink.

they stink because they present tiny little glimpses into what we assume to be the real lives of others, but they don't really capture {real life} at all. we see only what people choose for us to see. their favorite pictures. their witty comments. their thousands of friends. their growing fanpages. a dressed up, on purpose, rehearsed version of who they really are.

and unless they make the decision to share it with us, we rarely see the ugly. {real life} remains hidden behind the game of it all.

i try hard to be myself in every space-to be authentic and honest with you-but the truth is, if someone tags an unflattering, make-up-free, fat-rolls-hanging-everywhere picture of me, i'm probably going to untag it. i wish i didn't care to. but i do.

so, upon seeing the topic for today, i decided to finally be totally, 100%, let-those-rolls-loose real with you.

i'm going to aim for 5 truths. we'll see how many we make it through before the clock runs out.

1. {in real life}, i usually vent first, pray second. so, if you stumble upon a post about the power of prayer or the priority it should have in our lives, now you know i'm posting it more for myself than for you. i'm usually the one who needs reminding.

2.{in real life}, i stress like crazy. like, really crazy. all the time. yes, i trust God. yes, i try to rest in His grace. but yes, i'm clearly still working on that whole 'be anxious about nothing' thing.

3. {in real life}, i worry whether you will like what i say here. i try not to let fear of rejection guide my words, but i always wonder what you will think of me. i seriously have to pray myself into pushing 'publish' every single time.

4. {in real life}, i usually have old, chipped nailpolish on my fingers and toes. i'm terrible at keeping up with them. i will never be that totally put together girl, no matter how hard i try. it's just not in the cards for me.

5. {in real life}, i don't always feel like blogging. today was one of those days. i had a rough morning and my heart was aching and i couldn't concentrate. but i'm glad i'm here, and i'm even more glad you're here. because you make it worth it. even when i don't feel like it. especially when i don't feel like it. you make it worth it.

oops, time was up almost two minutes ago. i guess i should add that in {real life}, i sometimes spend 7 minutes on a 5 minute post. STOP

You are real. And I love you for it!! God uses that vulnerable honesty to set you free and to set us free to be who we really are. I'm so blessed that the Lord led me to connect with you and know that I am cheering you on every wobbly, chipped nail polish step of your journey to put God's glory on display! You rock and I want to be more like you when I grow up! :-)

Oh! I want to hug you and cry with you in understanding all at the same time! Thank you for being transparent in this post in such an honest way. I can identify with every single one! It makes me wonder how many of us "bloggers/social media lovers" out there truly feel the same.

P.S. YES! I totally can't wait for our coffee date! ;-)

Reply

Jessica East

9/9/2011 03:30:32 pm

Brittany,
I haven't ever really clicked and read one of these posts of yours. I am so glad I did on this one. So cute and so true on all levels!! I would love to get started in this too! How did you?

In real life, nobody's perfect and nobody's superwoman (although I tend to untag myself from those less than flattering photos as well).
Thanks for being real, and open, and sharing your heart with this Five Minute Friday.

hi Brittany! I stumbled across y'alls website through your She Seeks devotional on today, and may I say that I was truly blessed! With some things weighing on my heart today, I must say that I am glad to have read your She Seeks post "a patchwork heart" and this blog, because it truly is a reminder that the Lord knows our hearts and we can give everything to Him! Thanks girl for being so real!

P.S: from a Mississippi State girl, glad to have your Texas A&M Aggies in the SEC!

Reply

brittany

9/12/2011 03:48:56 am

meagan, i am so grateful you came by this morning! it swells my heart to read that you were encouraged by 'a patchwork heart'. that was a difficult post to write (who wants to admit to the world they were not only rejected but stayed bitter about it for so long?!), but God truly does bring good from every experience and every hurt. just like you said, we can give everything to Him (and even better, He wants us to!). thank you again for your comment here!

P.S.: thanks for the warm welcome :) we're excited to join y'all! my mom is from mississippi, and most of her family still lives there. i'm looking forward to a little fun, family rivalry!